Culvert shovel



March 10, 1931. BARWICK 1,795,991

CULVERT SHOVEL Filed Jan. 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 10, 1931.

J. L. BARWICK CULVERT SHOVEL Filed Jan. 29, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M 'IVI IIIIIIIIW I pllflfllllllll lllrlli fllllfllllWWW!!! v T M W m M J ATTORNEY "-5 The head 2, adjacent to theisides and also Asbest disclosed by, Figures-Ar, and 6 Patented Mar. 10, 1931 i. I i

UNITED: STATES PATENT OFFICE oan's-Burma, or 54mm; snot GIL i i i if ourvnnm sHovEjL i Application filed satay as, 19 Serial No. 424,354.

My present invention has reference to an adjacentto the bottom of the said head is implement for cleaning culverts. provided with rearwardly extending spaced The object of the invention is to provide a pairs of ears 4. The head 2, at the center device of this character which is extremely thereof has its upper edge notched, and the 5 simple in construction and'which is so desame 'uponits inner face ispreferably con signed as to be employed to the best advantrally reinforced by a bracket plate 5'which tage for the several operations of loosening has its top rounded to'form the same with and removing dirt or other matter with-which an eye 6, and the said eye is cut-away in a a culvert is clogged. line with the notch in the upper edge of the 10 For a full description of the invention and head 2. 4 the merits thereof as well as for an under- The tubular stem of the improvement is standin of the details of the construction, lndicated by the numeral 7." The stem has its referen e is to be hadto the following dend, adjacent the blade arranged therearound scription which isto be read in connection a'split-clamp 8 and there is passed through 15 ithth n i gdm i g I i theendsof the said clamp 8 binding elements In the drawings: 9, such as short bolts'which areengaged by 'Fig'u'rel isa plan viewof the improvement. nuts. 1 I y :Figure 2 is a sideelevation thereof with Flxedly' s'ecuredto the'sides ofthe split parts i s ti n, .o r clamp 8 are strong rods 9 which are-pivoted, 20 Figure?) is a sectional view approximately as'at 10 between the ears 4 on the head 2. on th li 3-3 f Figur 1; The rods comprising the arms 9 are arranged Fi 4& a m i of "the sectional at downward and upward inclinations from t fth h d1 V 4 their connection withthe sleeve or with the Figure 5 is a'sectional view'a'pproximately Clamp 8 on the said sleeve. 1 25 on th li 5 5 f Fi AL a Pivotally secured, as at 11, between the Figure 6's a sectional view approximately yesfi there is a rod 12 that is directed on the line 6-6 of Figure 5. through the tubular sleeve 7. Removably As, the description progresses it will. be but fir y dO the 0111391 8nd f the S em noted that my i v nti in th natur there is'the handle portion 13 of the improve- I 30 f ombination penetrating, boring, gihient. i The handle comprises a bifurcated I tating and shoveling device. The blade of member whose parallel arms are indicated by the improvement may be of dilferent sizes to the numeral 14. 'These arms are formed upon properly operate in different sized culverts the "side of'a'split tubular clamp 15 which is and as culverts are of varying lengths the arranged around the outer end of the stem 7 L 35 handle of the improvement is formed so that The straight end 16 of the tubular clamp 15 the same may be lengthened or shortened to has passed therethrough binding element-s,- suit conditions. 1 uchasboltsfl which are'engaged by suit- The blade 1 of the improvementis of steel able nuts. l T V and has its'body portion cross sectionally Pivotal-1y secured, as at 18,' between the 49 arched. The head 2 of'the blade is straight arms '14 of the handle 13 there is the curved but is rounded at its connection with the sides Y or rounded end of a lever 19. The lever has and bottom of the body 1. The'sides of the its outer free end formedfwith a laterally body 1, from the head 2 have their outer edges extending hand grip 20. The lever has pivotcut at a curvature to the pointed end 3 of the "ally secured thereto, as at 21, the outer end I 45 said body. By thisarrangementithepointed of the rod 12. The numeral 22 designates end will cut into or penetrate the dirt or "a spacer element for the arms 14 of' the other material whichclogs'the culvert and handle The spacer element 22 also serves as the blade is turned the sideedges thereof as a stop for the lever 19 when the said lever will cut into the. dirt." is swung between the said arms 14.

of the drawings, the sleeve 7 comprises any desired number of tubular sections and also as disclosed by these figures the rod 12 is made up of sections which are removably and pivotally connected. One end of each of the rod sections is bifurcated, as at 23, to resleeve 26 is of any desired length, and the" said sleeve has its outer surface gradually 1 tapered to the ends thereof; Passed'o'ver' the stem an'd the flared periphery of the sleeve there are any desired number of cuffs-27 whosebores are flared. The cuffs at points opposite the center thereofareperipherally formed with seriesof oppositely disposedsubsta-ntially V-shaped notches 28. The inner and straight'walls of these notches are designed tobe engaged by a; suitable implement, suc'has a punch andthe saidpunch is subjected to a force such as the impact :of a hammer orthe like and-whereby the sleeves are brought into tight frictional engagement with the fiar'ed-splitsleeve 26 to cause the said sleeve to frictionally engagewith' the stem sections or'tocause the cuffs to travel off of-the sleeve to permit ofthe said sleevebeing removed from the stem sections. By thissimplearrangement it'will be noted that thefhandle portionof the device may be lengthened or shortened to suit conditions.

Thedevice is operated by at least three hands when the culvert is of; any determinedlength and is never operated by less thantwo hands, one of which-grasps the tool-adj acen't to' the blade 1, the second,-when three are employed, grasps the tool close tothe'center thereof while' the other hand grasps the handle of the tool, The blade is, of course, inserted in the culvert and the pointed end thereof is: shoved against thedirtor other material that clogs the culvert. The oper ator at thehandle endofthe device -manipulates the lever1'9- to cant, or if desired, to oseil. late the blade so that the same will both penetrate and agitate the dirt or other clogging. material. By thus manipulating the tool the same will dig through" the clogged material and by canting the blade and removing'the same from: the culvert the clogged material will be drawn therefrom and dumped to one side of the culvert, The operation is, of course,- continued until the culvert is entirely cleaned. V

The construction and advantages of the improvement will, it is thought, be apparent to thoseskilled inthe art to which such'invention relates so that further detailed description-will not be" requi-redi Obviously I do not wish to: be restricted to the precise details herein set" forth and the'reforehold myself entitled to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A cleaning device for culverts, comprising a blade having a straight head, a tubular stenn-a handle on the outerend thereof, comprising a bifurcated member, armsextending from the stem and pivotally secured to the 7 blade, and to the head adjacent to the ends -thereoff,-' arod member pivotally secured to the ing a blade havingja-straighthead, a tubularste-m, a handle onsthe-outer end. thereof-comprising abifurcated member, arms extending from the stem-and pivotally secured to'the blade'an'd" to the head adjacent to the ends thereof, a rodmernber pivotally secured to the head adj aee-nt-the top thereof and guided through the stem, a leverhavin'g a rounded end which: is;v pivotally secured in: the bifurcated'head and to which lever= the rod ispivoted'a-ndia combined spacer element for the arms of the bifurcated vhead 1 and a stop element for the lever when swung thereagainst.

3; A cleaningjdevicefor. culverts, comprising a blade having a straighthead, a tubular sleeve, la-clamp-fixed on oneend of the sleeve having: angularly; disposed-downwardly inclined arms extending therefrom andwhicharms: are-pivoted-to the head adjacent the ends thereof, a handle comprising. a: bifurcated member having, one end formed with a split tube which is clamped around the outer end of the stemya: rod guided through the stem and pivotally secured-toithe-head adjacent to the top oflsaidhead, a lever having a-rounded end which is pivotedbet ween the'arms of the bifurcated handle and to which lever the free endoftheirodds pivoted, said lever having a laterally'extendin'g handle, and a spacer element. for the armsof the bifurcatedhan'dle against which the lever contacts; when swung innthehandle's.

4; A' cleaning devicefor culverts comprising a' bl ade whosebod-y' portion isarched in cross: section and whoserear portion is fiat and affords a head which is rounded to' its juncturewitbthe-:body, the sides-ofthe body havingrtheir'upper edges rounded and concaved to'form the outer center of the body with a point, a tubular. stem madenp of removably connected sections, armson one end of the stempivotally secured to the head, a rod made up ofiremovably connected sections centrally guidednthroughthe stem, the head and pivoted, a. bifurcated handles removably secured on the outer end of the stem, a lever having a curved end pivoted in the bifurcated handle and to which lever the outer end of the rod is also pivoted.

5. A cleaning device for culverts comprise ing a blade having an inner straight head, a tubular stem made up of sections, a split sleeve having inner shoulders, said stem sections being received in the sleeve and the ends thereof contacting with the shoulders, said sleeve having its outer surface flared from its center to its ends, cuffs having flared bores arranged over the split sleeve, said cufl's having series of peripheral V-shaped notches to In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN L. BARWICK. 

